Biggest Takeaways From Day 12 of Colts Training Camp: Defense Shuts Down Passing Attack

WESTFIELD, IN -- The Indianapolis Colts were back outside today for practice at Grand Park after Mother Nature forced them into the indoor facility on Saturday.

Today's practice was their second removed from the preseason opener against the New England Patriots, adding an extra 30 minutes to Saturday's hour-long session.

Follow along as I break down my biggest takeaways from the Colts' eleventh training camp practice of the preseason.

CJ Allen Returns

The most important news of the day is that rookie linebacker CJ Allen returned to the gridiron after missing five straight sessions with a hamstring injury.

Allen had been sidelined for over a week and missed the Colts' joint practice and preseason opener against the New England Patriots as he worked back from his injury. These were vital reps to have missed, and veteran safety Cam Bynum has emerged as the best candidate to become defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's green dot as a result.

The rookie linebacker is still expected to start in Week 1's regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, but his extended absence throughout training camp has made it difficult

Passing Defense Locks Down

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) walks up the field Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, during Colts Camp practice at Gand Park in Westfield. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The theme of Sunday's practice was that defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had head coach Shane Steichen's passing offense in hell.

Regardless of whether it was Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, or Riley Leonard leading the charge, Anarumo's passing defense proved to be too much to handle.

The Colts' starting defense was at full strength outside of cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr., who remains out of practice entirely with a back injury.

We'll cover Jones's day in full in a later section, but know that the combined pressure and sticky coverage ultimately got the best of him and his intended receivers.

But it wasn't just Jones who struggled to find success through the air, as both Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard couldn't get anything going with either of the first- or second-team units for most of the day.

Richardson's first team period, an 11-on-11 session with the second-team offense, was a brutal showing. This unit could not get anything going from the very first play: a fumbled jet sweep exchange between Richardson and rookie wide receiver Deion Burks. After being stuffed on the ground and finding no success through the air, it was only fitting that Richardson's final pass attempt of the session was an underthrown corner route that fell right into cornerback Jaylon Jones's hands.

Leonard did manage to find success late with the third-team offense, going 3-for-3 on pass attempts before running back Ulysses Bentley IV finished the drive with a touchdown run, but overall, it was a performance to forget from the Colts' three quarterbacks.

The Colts' passing defense shined brightest, but their rushing defense also won its battle. Overall, it was a showing that saw Lou Anarumo convincingly beat Shane Steichen in all phases.

Daniel Jones Has Worst Showing of Training Camp

As alluded to, Daniel Jones had his poorest showing of training camp thus far in Sunday's practice.

To be fair to him, his subpar receiving corps, outside of Tyler Warren and Josh Downs, let him down on numerous occasions with drops, but even then, Jones had just one connection past 10 yards, a deep passing touchdown to Ashton Dulin up the left sideline.

Jones was making the right throw more often than not, but just couldn't find the same rhythm that he'd shown throughout camp to this point. The Colts' pass rush sped up his operation and led to incompletions on numerous occasions, and Jones was also caught in a bad spot with a dropped snap of his own.

The Colts' starting quarterback's poor showing culminated in back-to-back interceptions to conclude his final 11-on-11 session.

First, the aforementioned pass rush got to him quickly, and Laiatu Latu tipped his pass at the line of scrimmage, which ultimately landed in cornerback Mekhi Blackmon's hands and was taken back for six points. Then, Jones unloaded a deep post to Laquon Treadwell, who appeared to have a step on the nearest defenders, but too much air got under the throw and allowed Cam Bynum to make an impressive undercutting play on the ball for the interception.

This is likely nothing more than a blip for Jones, but it did bring light to the Colts' overarching situation at wide receiver, which suggests that their current room doesn't have what it takes to go the distance for a playoff-run type of showing in 2026.

Standouts

Colts' third-year linebacker Jaylon Carlies was the first-team linebacker alongside Austin Ajiake today, serving as Lou Anarumo's latest rotation at the position. Carlies proved to be the coverage specialist that he's been expected to become since he was drafted in 2024. He had multiple strong reps in coverage, culminating in a pass break-up, but Carlies also flashed as a blitzer for a would-be sack against Daniel Jones in the team's red zone period toward the end of practice.

Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon's strong day was headlined by his aforementioned interception, but he also had a pass break-up to show for throughout numerous impressive reps. Veteran newcomer Cam Taylor-Britt has proven to be the next man up outside of the Colts' starting trio of Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward Sr., and Justin Walley, but Blackmon looks to be a solid depth piece nonetheless.

Rookie wide receiver Deion Burks had a brutal dropped sweep exchange to kick things off, and while he didn't have a big-time reception to suggest that he's climbing the depth chart, his usage on the day was noteworthy. Burks was used as a jet sweeper on numerous occasions, and even had some brief run with the starters as a motion man. He's also one of the primary kick returners with fellow wide receiver Coleman Owen, so it's looking like the room's final roster spot will go to one of them.

Other Notes:

Alec Pierce: Indy's WR1 put on cleats and was a minimal participant for the first time this offseason earlier in the week during the Colts' joint practice against the New England Patriots, but was back to spectating in shoes today. Head coach Shane Steichen said after practice that he does not expect Pierce to be back this week for the Colts' two-day joint practice against the Atlanta Falcons.

Kicking Competition: Despite a promising preseason performance that saw Spencer Shrader go 2-for-2 with a long of 61-yards on Thursday, Blake Grupe continues to separate in practice. Shrader was 4-for-6 on Sunday, with his four makes coming from 28, 33, 44, and 47 yards, and two misses from 41 and 50 yards. Meanwhile, Grupe was a perfect 6-for-6 from these distances. At this point, it's Grupe's job to lose.

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